


I Can't Lead Myself by the Hand

by AmaiNoYuki



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Amusement Parks, Comfort, Communication, First Kiss (kind of), Fluff, Loverivalshipping, M/M, RaltsShipping, attempted mild deception
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-03
Updated: 2020-08-03
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:41:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,976
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25685185
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AmaiNoYuki/pseuds/AmaiNoYuki
Summary: Brendan takes Wally on an amusement park date. When he discovers the park has a haunted house, he thinks he has the perfect opportunity to comfort a scared Wally.  This plan backfires spectacularly when he overestimates his own tolerance for scary things.
Relationships: Mitsuru | Wally/Yuuki | Brendan
Kudos: 20





	I Can't Lead Myself by the Hand

Wally bounced lightly on his heels as he waited excitedly on Route 117. Brendan was supposed to meet up with him at 9:00 and even though it was only 8:53, Brendan was usually more than five minutes early, so Wally suspected he would be seeing his boyfriend any second now. Wally and Brendan had been dating for over a month and Brendan relished any opportunity to give Wally experiences he had never had before. Today was no exception; the two were planning to visit an amusement park. Wally had long wanted to go but couldn't due to his frail constitution and strict parents. However, his health had improved substantially since moving to Verdanturf Town and his Aunt and Uncle afforded him much more personal freedom.

Wally impatiently checked the clock on his phone for the third time in under a minute. Just as he did, he heard the flapping of large wings overhead. He looked up to see a Flygon making its landing and although he couldn't see the rider yet, he knew in his heart who it was. Brendan dismounted his Flygon, patted him on the nose, and returned him to his Pokeball. He turned to Wally as the other boy closed the gap between them and threw his arms around him, exclaiming "Brendan! Good morning!" "Good morning to you too." Brendan replied as his caressed Wally's fluffy hair with one hand and placed the other on the small of his back.

As the two let go, Brendan asked “Are you ready to head out?” Wally nodded enthusiastically in response. Brendan took out another Poke Ball and let out his Altaria which Wally had nicknamed Puff. Brendan usually rode his Flygon for speed when flying solo, but with Wally in tow he tended to ride Puff for the extra comfort. He didn’t mind the flight taking longer if he got to spend the time with his boyfriend. Brendan climbed onto Puffs back and held out a hand to help Wally up. Wally looked up at him and thought he almost looked like a prince on a steed, as handsome as ever. Wally climbed on and wrapped his arms around Brendan’s midsection, closing his eyes and pressing his cheek against Brendan’s back. Comfortably seated, they took to the skies.

After a short period of lighthearted chatting and gazing upon the world below, they had arrived at the amusement park. The boys landed and thanked Puff for the ride before Brendan returned her to her Poke Ball. Wally took out a pocket mirror to fix his now windswept hair but quit shortly as it didn’t look that much different than usual. Brendan and Wally got in line and while it was still fairly early in the morning, there were already more than a dozen people in front of them. To pass the time, Brendan took out his phone and navigated to the park’s website. “So, what do you want to do first?”

Wally scrunched up his nose at this question. Somehow, he hadn’t thought that far ahead. As he looked at the list of attractions on the website, his eyes started to glaze over. He didn’t even know what some of these were. Eventually he replied “Let’s play it by ear.” He looked forward and could see roller coasters and Ferris wheels towering in the distance visible far above the park gates. His heart leapt in his chest.

When they reached the front of the line, Brendan said to the ticket vendor “We’d like two all-day passes please.” Wally took out his coin purse to pay for his pass but Brendan stopped him. “Don’t worry babe. I’ve got this.” he said with a cheesy grin. Wally smiled wryly. Brendan had been winning a number of contests lately, which was great, but at times Wally feared Brendan was letting it go to his head. Still, he was getting to go to an amusement park for free, so he didn’t complain.

Once inside, Wally found himself turning continuously as though trying to absorb all the sights at once. Brendan giggled to himself before asking again “What do you want to do first?” It was a hard question to answer in the abstract, but now that all of his options were in from of him, it was that much harder to decide. Finally, one ride caught his eye. He pointed and exclaimed “That one!” before making his way in its direction. Brendan was slightly taken aback but willing to roll with it.

The ride consisted of large replica Poke Balls opened so visitors could sit inside and spin them with a steering wheel while the entire ride spun as well. Wally and Brendan seated themselves in one of the Poke Balls and when the ride started up, Wally grabbed the center steering wheel and began spinning. Brendan did the same but noticed they were spinning themselves slower than any of the other balls. He felt this was for the best and tried not to spin with too much more force than Wally for the sake of not pushing him outside his comfort zone. Wally’s laughter was contagious and even though Brendan never thought much of this ride, he truly enjoyed himself too.

They got off and Wally’s gait was noticeably less stable. Brendan slung Wally’s arm over his shoulder and Wally awkwardly muttered “Um… Thanks.” He knew he needed it but wanted not to focus on that and asked “So what next?” Brendan looked around. He had been so preoccupied with doing what Wally wanted to do that he hadn’t considered what sounded good to him. When he noticed carnival games in the distance, a devious grin spread across his face. He boasted “I’m going to win you a stuffed toy bigger than your whole body.”

Brendan strode confidently toward to carnival games with Wally following behind, trying to talk some sense into him. “Oh my gosh, no. Where would I even put such a thing? My room doesn’t have that kind of storage space.” “We can cross that bridge when we get to it.” Brendan confidently replied.

Now, throwing balls at stacks of bottles should be easy. Brendan could throw Poke Balls with fair accuracy most of the time. And yet here he was, on his fourth attempt to knock the bottles, any of them, down and with exactly 0 prizes to show for it. Wally watched patiently equal parts bemused and chagrinned. Brendan ordered a fifth round and asserted “Fifth time’s the charm.” Wally pointed out as politely as he could “You said that the last two times.” In this case however, Brendan may have been right because he knocked over one of the stacks successfully and finally won Wally a prize. It was a plush Teddiursa slightly larger than Wally’s torso and both of them seemed happy with that middle ground. Now it was Wally’s turn to choose the attraction and he sauntered over to a map of the park to see what was nearby. He gasped when he saw there was a carousel, exclaiming that he had never been on one.

The carousel had a selection of plexiglass Pokemon for visitors to ride and Brendan and Wally walked around it trying to choose one. Almost all of the options were made for one rider, but they finally found a two-person carriage being pulled by Suicune. They took their seats and in a moment the ride came to life. Wally was enchanted by the organ music and glittering lights. He looked out at the passing faces before turning his eyes to his date beside him. It crossed his mind that this felt almost like a wedding procession. His cheeks turned a light pink at the thought. Brendan turned to look at him, but Wally averted his gaze. The awkwardness quickly dissipated, and Wally rested his head on Brendan’s shoulder.

The ride ended sooner than either of the boys would have hoped and as they exited Wally sighed “That was magical.” He turned his attention to Brendan and inquired “Okay, what do you pick next?” Brendan eyed a rollercoaster in the distance but felt it would be a bad choice for this date. As much as Brendan loved roller coasters, and as much as Wally was surprisingly open to rides that moved, Brendan didn’t want to risk Wally getting motion sick and having to cut the date short. It occurred to him Wally would probably wait for him while he rode alone, but today Brendan didn’t feel like being alone.

He looked around more and spotted a haunted house. He was sure Wally would have an even more adverse reaction to that one and he imagined Wally clinging to him, burying his face in his chest. In his mind, Brendan soothed Wally assuring him he was here to protect him. Wally thanked him in a cute voice barely above a whisper. Back in reality, Brendan quirked an eyebrow and it dawned on him he was presented with a once in a lifetime opportunity. It’s just an amusement park, so surely all of the attractions would be safe, right? But would suggesting a trip to the haunted house for the express purpose of enjoying Wally’s fear reaction be a betrayal of his trust?

He decided it was up to Wally to decide. “What do you think of going to the haunted house?” Brendan asked innocently. Wally looked in its direction and said in his usual chipper tone “It could be fun. Let’s do it.” Brendan felt just a tad guilty but mostly, he was excited. His plan was off to a great start, or so he thought.

Brendan creaked open the door to the haunted house. It wasn’t quite as dark as he had expected but he still stepped inside with caution. Wally followed right behind. The first room looked just like the outside, little more than a dilapidated shack. Shabby furniture was sparsely scattered in the corners and there were a few sepia tone photos of landscapes up on pegs. The atmosphere was somewhat creepy, sure, but unless you’re appalled by peeling paint, it wasn’t exactly scary. There was a door on the far wall, and Wally strode toward it seeming to be equally underwhelmed by the first room.

The second room was pitch black. Nothing was even visible: not the floor, not the walls, nothing. Despite this, Wally and Brendan could still see each other perfectly as though the room were well lit. If the house were obeying the conventional laws of physics, it would be well lit as there were numerous balls of fire floating in the air. Brendan found the sight unsettling and tried to keep his distance from the fire. Wally, however, was curious and stuck his hand directly in one of the flaming orbs causing Brendan to tense up. Wally gave a largely unaffected “Huh.” before turning to Brendan to ask “Do you think this is the work of a Gastly?” For whatever reason it hadn’t even occurred to Brendan that the haunted house would be using Pokemon for its special effects. He was speechless. Wally removed his hand from the fire and continued “Ghost Pokemon aren’t my area of expertise so I’m not sure what’s causing this. It’s kinda cool regardless. Do you want to continue?” Brendan could only muster a half-hearted “Uh-huh.” and Wally turned to make his way to a door that definitely wasn’t there a second ago.

The third room had the appearance of a large cave. Light at least worked the way it usually does but it was still dark enough that Brendan couldn’t see all the way to the end. Once again Wally’s reaction seemed minimal yet intrigued. Brendan figured he may just need a little nudge. “Hey Wally, if you get scared, I can hold your hand.” Wally didn’t even look at him as he nonchalantly replied “No thanks. I think I’m good for now." He began walking forward, seemingly without a care in the world. Well, rats. This was not going how Brendan had planned.

Still, the cave wasn’t quite as unsettling as the room with the fire. Brendan was an industrious trainer; he had been in caves before. It was a little odd that they fit such realistic rock formations in a building, but apart from that, the only other oddity was that Brendan’s footsteps sounded unnaturally loud. Brendan stopped. The footsteps did not. Brendan hesitantly looked behind him and was half-relieved there was nobody there. He noticed Wally was still walking up ahead. Maybe they were Wally’s footsteps? No, they were definitely coming from behind him. Suddenly the steps stopped. Brendan immediately resumed walking and soon the other footsteps did too. He caught up to Wally who either didn’t notice or didn’t care that the echoes of their footsteps sounded off. Brendan started to ask “Does it seem like-“ but was cut off by an inexplicable cracking sound. The cracking continued and it was so loud it made it difficult to think. It sounded as though it were coming from outside the cave. Wally asked with a genuine calmness “What is making that noise?” Brendan hastily replied “Don’t know, don’t care.” and began power-walking the rest of the distance. Wally jogged to keep up with him and thankfully it didn’t take long before they reached the next door. Brendan swung it open with gusto and enthusiastically shut it behind him when he and Wally were both through. He breathed a sigh of relief. Suddenly there came a loud thud from the other side of the door that made Brendan’s spine tingle but warranted no comment from Wally.

The fourth room had an unusually low ceiling. Wally cleared it easily but there was only an inch or so of space above Brendan’s head. He thought exasperatedly ‘How many rooms does this thing have?’ He and Wally looked around. The walls were smooth metal. “I wonder if this is supposed to be like a ventilation shaft.” Brendan pondered aloud. “Good point.” Wally chimed in. “I wonder if we’re going to get some mechanical scares here instead of just paranormal ones.” ‘Oh joy.’ Brendan thought to himself sarcastically. The two started walking. This room didn’t have anything really noteworthy in it, at least not at first. After a few dozen steps though, there started to be unidentifiable tendrils hanging from seams in the ceiling. Brendan had to duck to avoid them. They didn’t look organic, but they looked moist and they were strewn around haphazardly. Brendan reminded Wally “Hey. I can hold your hand if you want. Really, it’s okay.” Wally smiled sweetly and said “Thank you. But I’m alright.” and continued walking.

After continuing their trek for a moment, Wally reached out and grabbed one of the tendrils, trying to assess what it was. As soon as he did, the entire room began to convulse. Brendan could have sworn the walls and floor were made of metal, but they moved fluidly like a living thing. Brendan dodged the hanging tendrils, not wanting any of them to touch him. Finally he just got on all fours. All Wally had to do was crouch. Brendan was barely holding it together, but he didn’t want his boyfriend to know how scared he really was. Wally continued making his way to the other end of the room and Brendan scuttled behind him. They finally reached the door and as soon as Wally put his hand on it, the room stopped moving. Wally opened the door and Brendan stood up to rush through it.

Brendan continued to face the closed door. He didn’t want to know what was in the fifth room. He didn’t know how much more he could take. This had all been a ploy to look strong for Wally, but Wally was doing just fine. Meanwhile Brendan was at risk of losing his composure entirely. He tried to quietly take a couple of deep breaths before turning around. When he did, he saw a high-tech corridor filled with lights and buttons. Wally was already several feet ahead of him peering through a large window with a pale green glow, a look of palpable concern on his face. Brendan caught up to him and, against his better judgement, looked through the window too.

What he saw made his blood run cold. Behind the glass was what looked like a futuristic operating room. The room looked almost alien and the only person in it was an unconscious boy strapped to an exam table with strange tubing hooked up to multiple parts of his body. It was Wally. Brendan turned to look at the person next to him and was mostly relieved to see Wally, the real Wally. He was okay, but the image of Wally’s unconscious body alone on a slab in an unknown place clung in his mind. In a hushed tone, Wally said “It’s you.” Brendan’s eyes went wide. Wally elaborated “The boy in that operating room looks just like you.” Brendan realized that what lay beyond the glass was an illusion and whatever was causing it made it look different to different people. Wally began walking again and mused aloud “What Pokemon are they using to create this effect?”

Brendan quivered as he spoke. “Wally…” Wally turned around giving him an inquisitive glance. Brendan murmured “Will you… hold my hand?” Brendan’s cheeks were flushed and his gaze was averted. Wally looked somewhat puzzled for a second before the realization set in. He walked back to Brendan and took his hand, leading him to the door at the end of the room. As they entered room number six, Brendan closed his eyes. Wally wrapped himself around Brendan’s arm and whispered “Don’t worry. I’ll guide you out of here.”

As promised, Wally led Brendan through the last three rooms. Brendan kept his eyes shut the entire time. Sometimes he could sense changes in the lighting and when he heard an unusual sound he would squeeze Wally’s hand even tighter. Wally stroked Brendan’s shoulder with his free hand and would occasionally whisper “You’re okay. We’re almost there.” When they emerged from the other side, Wally let Brendan know it was safe to open his eyes. They found a nearby bench and sat down so Brendan could collect his thoughts.

After letting Brendan breathe for a little bit, Wally inquired “You seemed so excited about this haunted house. What happened?” A poignant pause hung in the air before Brendan decided it was best to just come clean. “I want to apologize. The reason I wanted to go to the haunted house with you is because I thought you would be cute when you were scared. I wanted to comfort you the way you ended up comforting me. It seemed like a good change to get close to you. I’m so sorry for deceiving you like that.”

Wally sighed deeply and put a hand on Brendan’s shoulder. “First of all, I’m always cute. Secondly and more importantly, I think I’m stronger than you take me for. Yes, sometimes I need to be comforted but you can get close to me at any time. All you have to do is ask.” Brendan smiled halfheartedly as he replied “Thank you Wally. I know you’re tough but… I like to think that I’m really tough too. When I first met you, you needed my help catching a Pokemon and I guess this whole time I’ve had the impression that that’s what our friendship was founded on. I was worried that someday you wouldn’t need me anymore.” Wally caressed Brendan’s cheek and assured him “Hey, you’re plenty tough in your own way. Besides, I don’t spend time with you because I need you. I spend time with you because I love you.”

A luminescent blush spread over Brendan’s face. Wally began to blush too and reassured his boyfriend “I mean that.” Brendan smiled radiantly and responded “Thanks. I love you too.” They sat in silence for a moment, basking in each other’s presence. Wally hadn’t even realized they were still holding hands. He moved his free hand to hold Brendan’s and sighed contentedly.

Finally, Wally stood up and exclaimed “Welp, now that that tribulation is behind us, what do you wanna do next?” Brendan chortled and clarified “Wait, wasn’t it your turn to choose?” Wally flashed a big, cheesy grin. “Yeeeeeeah. But that last one was more fun for me than for you anyway.” With more laughter Brendan conceded “Fair.” and stood up as well. He started to look around but admitted “Honestly, I don’t know what I want to do.” Wally joined their hands again and assured him “Don’t worry. We’ve got all day.”

The two boys spent hours taking turns choosing rides and attractions. They got cotton candy, visited the petting zoo, and Wally did watch Brendan ride a roller coaster after all. They continued running around having fun until it started to get dark and Brendan pointed out “Hang on. I think it’s almost time for the fireworks show.” He looked at the schedule and checked his watch. “Oh yeah. It starts in less than half an hour. Let’s head over.”

They made their way to the hillside at the other end of the park. They picked a spot where they anticipated they would get a nice view and sat down on the cool grass. They kibitzed until it was time for the show to start and it started with a bang. They were seated far enough away that it wasn’t too noisy but close enough that the brilliant display of lights was in full view. Vivid hues danced across the darkened sky with a bevy of patterns bursting in turn all across the horizon. Some contained multiple bursts, others were shaped like Pokemon, and still others emanated every color of the rainbow. Wally sighed with pleasure and Brendan turned to gaze upon him. The light from the fireworks played with the shadows cast across Wally’s face and Brendan was more interested in the wonder in Wally’s eyes than the fireworks that induced that wonder.

Eventually the show was over and the other spectators clapped. Wally turned to meet Brendan’s gaze, previously unaware Brendan was staring. Wally blushed and averted his eyes before looking at Brendan again. Brendan blinked slowly as if in a trance and the words he spoke came as a surprise.

“Wally, can I kiss you?”

Now Wally’s entire face went red. He cast his eyes downward at his fidgeting hands while he sputtered “I- Well that- You- But we- Um-“ He fidgeted a little longer in silence before turning to Brendan again and shyly answering “Only on the cheek.”

“Okay.” Brendan responded before leaning over to plant a loving smooch on Wally’s left cheek. As he pulled away Wally sheepishly asked “Can I kiss you back?” Brendan tenderly replied “Of course.” and Wally leaned in to reciprocate.

As Wally finished, he couldn’t help but feel slightly awkward and as he broke eye contact all the words within him quickly bubbled over. “I’m sorry. It’s just I’ve never kissed anyone before and I’m really happy we’re together but I don’t think I’m ready for my first kiss, like my first *kiss* kiss yet, and I know I want it to be with you but I just don’t think we’re there yet and I’m so glad you were okay with just a kiss on the cheek for now because-” Brendan squeezed Wally’s hand and Wally stopped rambling to look Brendan in the eyes. Brendan assured him “It’s okay. You have nothing to be sorry for. I’ll wait as long as it takes. I want you to be comfortable, especially after the mistake I made today. We can kiss when you’re ready.”

Wally could feel the muscles smiling in his face and he gave Brendan a sincere “Thank you.”


End file.
